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And holy shit—I fucking felt it.
I stumbled a bit, falling back onto the ropes and trying to steady my feet. And he pounced. Came at me and tossed me into the corner, firing off at least a dozen hits to my body and head. I kept my arms up and took the hits, just as the bell rang.
Thank fucking God.
One round.
I’d survived.
I was on my feet.
The ref pulled him back, and he held his hands up and turned to the crowd to get them riled. He was shouting something at me, but I couldn’t make it out. Joey pulled me to the corner and pushed me down to sit on the stool.
Butch was squeezing water into my mouth, and the guys were all clapping me on the shoulder.
“One down. Eleven to go,” Joey said. “How do you feel?”
“Like I just got punched hard in the head and body multiple times.”
Laughter floated around me, and I let out a few quick breaths.
“You’re still standing, kid. You’re here with one of the best fighters of your time, and you just went one round with him, and you look good.”
“Stay calm, Romeo,” River said as he leaned in close to my ear. “It’s going to get in his head that you just withstood that. Stay the course, brother.”
I nodded and clapped my gloves together.
I was ready for more.
I pushed to my feet, and when the bell rang this time, I was moving faster than I had the last time. He was older than me, so he’d tire quicker. He was used to knocking guys out early, and I was going to test that. The longer I made it, the more it would fuck with his head.
Stay present. Focus.
I threw the first punch, which rattled him a bit. He responded like a clown because the man was all about the show. He wound his arm up, egging on the crowd, and then came at me.
Hard.
He connected with the side of my head, and my ear stung like a bitch. I put my chin down and moved, following his pace. And this time when he came at me, I ducked and lunged at him, getting in multiple shots to his body.
And that was the moment that it felt like the fight officially started.
Round two was like nothing I’d ever experienced. We traded hits over and over.
The body. The head. The face.
And when the bell rang, I wasn’t in any hurry to get back to my corner, and neither was he. The ref had to tear us apart, and Leo was shouting all sorts of threats my way. I held my arms up in question.
Bring it on, motherfucker.
So much fucking talk, and here I was, still standing.
I dropped down onto the stool as the guys cheered and screamed. But Joey’s voice broke through all the noise.
“Two down, Romeo. Stay present. One round at a time. Don’t let him distract you.”
Butch flashed a light into my eyes and told me to protect my face. I knew that once your eyes were swollen shut, it madefighting really tough. So far, Leo had focused more on my body and my ribs. And I’d prepared for that.
I nodded. Listened. Swished some water around my mouth and spit into the bucket.
